Nation at a Glance — (03/08/19)
News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.
Streaking San Miguel faces off with NLEX
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
THE now-rolling San Miguel Beermen get back to PBA Philippine Cup action today, facing off with the NLEX Road Warriors in the 7 p.m. main game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Winners of their last two matches in the season-opening Philippine Basketball Association tournament, the defending champions Beermen (4-3) are out to extend their streak as they try to make a strong assault for a spot in the playoffs.
The latest of the wins of San Miguel was against the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok, 113-92, on Feb. 10, days before the PBA took a two-week break to give way to Gilas Pilipinas’ bid in the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
Prior to that, San Miguel defeated the Blackwater Elite, 93-79, on Feb. 6.
Against Magnolia, the Beermen were in their element as they fended off every challenge that the Hotshots threw at them as they booked their second victory in a row.
Veteran Arwind Santos led three San Miguel players who scored 20 points or more in their win over the Hotshots, finishing with 29 points.
Terrence Romeo had 23 points while five-time league most valuable player June Mar Fajardo had 22 points to go along with eight rebounds.
Alex Cabagnot was the other Beerman in double digits with 11.
The big win over Magnolia had San Miguel coach Leo Austria full hope that his team could finally turning things around after a slow start to the tournament.
“The chemistry is there. That’s our problem before because we couldn’t practice with all the players hit by injuries. Slowly, we gained a good rhythm,” said Mr. Austria after their win over Magnolia.
NLEX (2-4), for its part, eyes a return to winning following a heartbreaking 83-82 loss to the league-leading Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters on Feb. 8.
The Road Warriors had a good chance of winning the contest but fell prey to the tight defense that Phoenix put up in the end.
Big man JP Erram is leading the way for NLEX with solid numbers of 15.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game.
Veteran JR Quiñahan has been good for 14 points and 5.2 rebounds while Bong Galanza is chipping in 10.8 points a match.
NLEX is playing sans marquee guards Kiefer Ravena and Kevin Alas. Mr. Ravena is still serving his suspension meted by FIBA while Mr. Alas fell to another ACL injury early in the tournament.
Road Warriors coach Yeng Guiao, also Gilas Pilipinas tactician, said their backcourt has to step up in the absence of their key guys if they are to go deep in the tournament.
“We’re just going to have to draw the best out of the guards we have right now. They have their good games but I think we still need more consistency from them,” the coach said.
Meanwhile, playing in the curtain-raiser at 4:30 p.m. are the Northport Batang Pier (2-3) and Meralco Bolts (2-5).
Both teams are currently on a major slide, each having lost their last three assignments, and hoping to wiggle out of the skein and give their playoff bids a boost.
Ateneo girding for UP in their battle of top teams
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
THE Ateneo Lady Eagles battle Katipunan neighbors University of the Philippines Lady Fighting Maroons this weekend in a marquee match between two top teams in the ongoing University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 81 women’s volleyball tournament.
A team it currently shares the top spot with a 3-1 record, Ateneo said it is looking forward to its match on Sunday, March 10, with UP, which is coming in on a high following a huge five-sets win over defending champions De La Salle Lady Spikers in its last game.
“We saw their game against La Salle and I give them credit for the win. They played well and prepared well. They really stood up to La Salle to get the momentum and win. Ever since they play like that. They are always fighting. I congratulated [UP] coach (Godfrey) Okumu right away,” said Ateneo coach Oliver Almadro, whose wards are set to face the Lady Maroons in the scheduled 4 p.m. match at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.
Ateneo is also on an upswing, having won its last three assignments to make its way to the top.
The Lady Eagles’ last victory was a clinical disposal of the University of the East Lady Warriors in three sets, 25-15, 25-21 and 25-16, on March 3.
But despite on a roll themselves, Mr. Almadro said their work is cut out for them against UP and that they have to play at their best to get the better of the Lady Maroons in the UAAP’s “Battle of Katipunan.”
“UP is next for us. We will work hard. We will work harder. We know they are riding a big momentum but we just have to believe in ourselves. We will give UP a good fight,” said the Ateneo coach, who is in his first year of handling the Lady Eagles in the UAAP.
Team leading scorer Kat Tolentino has the same view of UP but said they are treating the match as another game that they have to prepare hard for.
“UP is a strong team and I’m just looking forward to our match on Sunday and see what happens. We don’t want to get too hyped or too nervous about it. We are looking at them as just another team we have to take on and prepare hard for,” said the opposite hitter who is averaging a team-high 17.5 points for Ateneo.
Backstopping Tolentino in the scoring department are Maddie Madayag (11.3 points) and Jules Samonte (6.8 points).
Playing in the first game at 2 p.m. on Sunday are the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws (3-2) against the Adamson Lady Falcons (1-3).
Meanwhile, scheduled to play on Saturday, March 9, also at the FilOil Flying V Arena, are La Salle (3-2) versus UE (1-4) at 2 p.m. and the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses (3-2) against the National University Lady Bulldogs (1-3) at 4 p.m.
Filipinos Catalan, Torres seek wins at ONE Yangon
ONE Championship is to play Myanmar today with two Filipino mixed martial arts fighters part of the card.
Dubbed “ONE: Reign of Valor” and happening at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, the event will feature strawweight Rene “D’Challenger” Catalan (5-2) and women’s atomweight Jomary Torres (4-2) as they try to book key wins.
Mr. Catalan is riding a five-fight winning streak and eyeing to add Japanese opponent and former ONE champion Yoshitaka Naito to his list of conquered.
“Definitely, this is the toughest and biggest match of my career. Naito is a former world champion, well-experienced and we all know how dangerous he is on the mat, but I’m confident with my skills and I will do whatever it takes to win and get my title shot,” said Mr. Catalan, 40, in the lead-up to Reign of Valor.
Ms. Torres, for her part, has lost her last two fights after opening her ONE career with four victories in a row.
She is facing Lin Heqin of China in a preliminary contest where she hopes to stop her slide.
Headlining ONE: Reign of Valor is the welterweight world title fight between champion Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam and challenger Georgiy Kichigin of Kazakhstan.
Headlining the blockbuster event is knockout artist Zebaztian Kadestam as he defends his ONE Welterweight World Title against surging submission wizard Georgiy Kichigin. With World Title gold on the line, the stakes could not be higher in this classic clash of styles.
Kadestam put everyone on notice when he knocked out erstwhile-unbeaten American Tyler McGuire last November to be crowned as the ONE Welterweight World Champion.
His win over McGuire was Kadestam’s ninth knockout victory, making him one of the most fearsome competitors in the whole organization.
Kichigin, on the other hand, is a grappling wizard who is coming into ONE Championship on 14-match winning streak, with his last victory coming against another submission artist in Rousimar Palhares.
With two world-class talents bannering the card, there is no reason for Filipino martial arts fans to miss this event. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
LaVine scores 39, carries Bulls over Sixers
LOS ANGELES — Zach LaVine’s driving layup with 1.6 seconds left in the game lifted the Chicago Bulls to a 108-107 win over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.
Philadelphia had a chance to win after LaVine missed a free throw, but a lob into the paint intended for Jimmy Butler was way off the mark as the buzzer sounded.
Players walked off the floor, but the officials convened and determined that Robin Lopez did not tip the ball and the clock erroneously started, giving Philadelphia a second chance.
Ben Simmons’ inbound pass to Butler was fumbled, and the Bulls finally earned the win to snap a two-game losing skid.
Butler made two free throws with 4.8 seconds left to give the 76ers a 107-106 lead. Chicago called timeout, and LaVine drove the lane practically uncontested to score the winning basket after a defensive switch gone wrong. He was fouled by Mike Scott but missed the free throw.
LaVine finished with 39 points on 14-of-26 shooting from the field. He scored 24 of his points in the second half.
Lopez recorded 19 points and nine rebounds. Otto Porter Jr. finished with 15 points and nine boards.
Butler scored 22 points to lead five Philadelphia players in double figures. Simmons, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, compiled 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
The Sixers were playing without Joel Embiid, who missed his seventh straight game because of knee soreness. He could return on Friday when Philadelphia faces the Rockets in Houston.
The Sixers led 86-82 heading into the fourth quarter and opened a 10-point lead on two free throws by Simmons with 6:01 remaining.
The Bulls fought back and tied the game on a 24-foot 3-pointer by Porter with 2:44 left. The Sixers maintained the lead until Lopez’s free throw with 17.1 seconds left gave the Bulls a 106-105 lead.
CELTICS HOLD OFF KINGS TO WIN BACK-TO-BACK OUT WEST
Gordon Hayward avenged a critical foul 5.6 seconds earlier with a tie-breaking jumper with two seconds remaining Wednesday night, giving the Boston Celtics a 111-109 victory over the host Sacramento Kings.
Al Horford recorded a double-double with 21 points and a game-high 11 rebounds while also finding time for a team-high seven assists as the Celtics completed a back-to-back sweep in Northern California after shellacking the Golden State Warriors 128-95 on Tuesday night.
Harrison Barnes had a game-high 24 points for the Kings, who wrapped up a 1-3 homestand.
Hayward’s hoop occurred after the Kings had rallied from a late six-point deficit to gain a 109-all tie on three free throws by Buddy Hield with 7.6 seconds left.
The foul shots were the result of a foul called on Hayward while attempting to defend the potential game-tying shot.
Without calling a timeout, the Celtics rushed the ball up the court, and Hayward nailed a nine-footer for the winner.
After a timeout that allowed them to advance the ball, the Kings took a shot at a win, but Barnes’ 30-footer with two-tenths of a second remaining was off the mark.
Both teams were without a key player.
Celtics All-Star Kyrie Irving sat out with a bruised left thigh one night after having 19 points and 11 assists in Boston’s romp at Golden State.
Meanwhile, Kings standout rookie Marvin Bagley III missed his third consecutive game with a sprained left knee.
After a 3-pointer by Jayson Tatum had put the Celtics ahead 91-88, the visitors went on to lead by as many as six on a 3-pointer by Marcus Morris with 3:14 to go.
The Kings rallied, getting two hoops from De’Aaron Fox and a 3-pointer from Hield with 1:10 remaining to close within 105-104.
Tatum and Willie Cauley-Stein then exchanged hoops before Tatum’s two free throws with 15.5 seconds left put the Celtics up 109-106.
Hield’s three game-tying free throws came on Sacramento’s next possession.
Tatum scored 24 points to lead the Celtics, who had lost five of six before heading west this week.
Morris had 19 points, Terry Rozier 16, Hayward 12 and Jaylen Brown 10 for Boston, which swept a road/road back-to-back for the first time in four tries this season.
Hield finished with 23 points for the Kings, who have lost four of five as they pursue a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Fox complemented 16 points with seven assists for Sacramento, while Cauley-Stein had 19 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic 14.
The Celtics outshot the Kings 50.6 percent to 50.0. Both teams made 13 3-pointers.
Sacramento led by as many as nine points and Boston by as many as 10 in the first three quarters, which ended with the Celtics holding an 82-77 lead. — Reuters
FWD Philippines-backed athlete dares to be fearless in the Arctic
FOR the second straight year the Philippines will have a representative in the “world’s coolest marathon” in the person of a fearless Filipina — Joyette Jopson.
A seasoned triathlete and cyclist, Ms. Jopson seeks to conquer the elements and physical demands as she plunges into action at the 2019 North Pole Marathon happening on April 9 backed by pan-Asian insurer FWD.
She will be part of FWD Team Asia, joining other representative FWD runners from Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam and Thailand.
Incidentally, FWD will serve as the title sponsor for the North Pole Marathon for the third year in a row, seeing the event as in line with its core values of “empowering people to pursue their passions and explore a lifetime of limitless possibilities.”
In send-off ceremonies for her held on March 5 which also served as the launch of FWD Philippines’ “Fearless in the Arctic” campaign, Ms. Jopson said she is honored by the opportunity given to her to represent the country and make history as the first Filipino woman to tackle the North Pole Marathon.
“It’s truly an honor to be chosen to represent FWD Philippines and the country in the marathon. This is a new challenge for me and I’m looking forward to it,” said Ms. Jopson, who is also an FWD Financial Wealth Officer, in an interview with BusinessWorld.
Making it all the more special, she said, is that she gets to do it on the back of March being the International Month for Women, saying it is a chance to underscore the capabilities of women and inspire other women whatever they may be doing.
“Definitely it makes it more special. It will be an honor to become the first Filipina to finish the marathon. And I hope to inspire other women to continue to be achievers in whatever field they may be in,” she said.
Ms. Jopson is looking to follow in the footsteps of Louie Sangalang, a cancer survivor, who was the Philippine representative in the 2018 North Pole Marathon.
Mr. Sangalang showed tremendous spirit and dogged determination in finishing the race in 11 hours and four minutes.
INSPIRING TEAM
To help Ms. Jopson, 39, in her preparation, FWD Philippines has assembled a team which is serving as guides and sources of inspiration.
Part of the team is accomplished mountaineer Romy Garduce, who is back with the team for the second year, Asian Games skateboard gold medallist Margielyn Didal, and veteran cyclist Carmela Pearson.
Ms. Jopson shared that she values the lessons and inspiration she is getting from her team as she prepares for the tough challenge ahead.
“I really worked with FWD in selecting a group that will help me prepare. Romy is a friend from way back. And he has practically done everything, conquering many summits in the Philippines and, of course, Mt. Everest. So he’s really accomplished. Margielyn, even if she is young, has really inspired me with her story. How she overcame obstacles when she was starting, like she was being chased by guards because she was skateboarding all over the place as she had no place to train. It’s like my position right now as I train here in conditions different from the North Pole. Carmela is a friend and a great athlete,” she said.
Ms. Jopson went on to say that they are taking cue from the experience of Mr. Sangalang and his team last year to help in their preparation.
For FWD Life Philippines, it said that they are happy with the selection of Ms. Jopson as representative and it is firmly committed to its Fearless in the Arctic campaign.
“We chose Joyette as the Philippines’ representative to the FWD North Pole Marathon this year because of her indomitable spirit, something that will help her conquer the North Pole. As the first Filipina who is set to conquer the marathon, she will proudly bring both FWD and Filipino pride to the world stage,” said FWD Life Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Grimes said in his message during the send-off.
For more information on the marathon and FWD’s campaign, log on to npmarathon.fwd.com.ph. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
MPBL Datu Cup: Davao Tigers keeps winning mentality
TOP seed Davao Occidental Tigers are in no mood to let its guards down against second running Muntinlupa, the Tigers were all business.
On Wednesday night, Davao Occidental brought down Muntinlupa, 88-82, in the battle of heavyweight in the southern division of the MPBL Datu Cup at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex.
Already assured of the top spot in the southern division, Davao Occidental unraveled its winning mentality and was all focus getting the victory ahead of the playoffs.
The Cocolife-backed Tigers ended their elimination round campaign with a 20-5 win-loss record, but for Don Dulay, picking up a win against a tough team like Muntinlupa before plunging to the playoffs is something his team needed.
“We need to have that winning mentality,” Dulay told BusinessWorld. “At first, I thought the players would kinda relax because we’re already assured of the No. 1 spot. But the players really bought into it, knowing it’s important for us to bring that winning mentality ahead of the playoffs.”
The Tigers won despite playing without its top guard Billy Robles, who was sidelined by an injury, while also bucking the absence of Bonbon Custodio, who was thrown out of the game along with Dhon Reverente after the two got engaged in a heated exchange. Both received two technical fouls leading to their ejection.
Leo Najorda scattered 23 points, Mark Yee had another double-double effort and Custodio and Adormeo had 14 and 10, respectively for Davao Occidental.
Davao Occidental will face either Imus or Cebu, which are still battling out the last two placings of the south division.
General Santos City beat Mandaluyong, 93-89, in the other game. — Rey Joble
Aussie Bogut just happy to be along for the ride with GS Warriors
SYDNEY — Andrew Bogut is under no illusions about the role he will fill in his second stint with the Golden State Warriors but the Australian said on Thursday that the chance to rejoin the reigning NBA champions was too good to pass up.
Bogut sparked interest from a number of NBA teams after a standout season with the Sydney Kings of Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL) but knew there was really only one team that could lure him away from his homeland.
“It’s something that I’d be crazy to give up, the chance to win a championship with one of the greatest teams in basketball,” Bogut, who won a title with Golden State in 2015, told a news conference in Sydney.
“So it ended up being a pretty easy decision in that sense. Other teams weren’t really in consideration — I don’t think I would have gone back to play for anyone else.”
Bogut was named the Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year in the NBL but is fully aware those awards will matter little when it comes to cracking the Warriors’ vaunted starting lineup.
The towering 34-year-old centre will essentially serve as insurance in case DeMarcus Cousins, who in January made his Warriors debut after a torn Achilles tendon that sidelined him almost a year, is injured or limited by foul trouble.
“I spoke to (Warriors head coach) Steve Kerr last week and, for me, I’m under no illusions. It’s an absolute honor to sign (even if I don’t) play a minute. Anything more than that is a bonus,” said Bogut.
“I appreciate the opportunity, if it’s waving a towel for 20 odd games and being a good team mate, I’m happy to do it.”
When Bogut does see the hardwood, the hopes will be that he can provide toughness inside and set up screens to free up the Warriors world-class shooters as the team chases a third consecutive NBA title and fourth in five seasons.
Bogut became Australia’s first number one NBA draft pick when Milwaukee selected him in 2005 and spent his first seven seasons with the Bucks before joining the Warriors where he was a starting big man for their championship run in 2015. — Reuters
Right direction
Considering how the Bulls have been battling of late, it’s a wonder that they were actually regular fodder for late-night comedy fare at the start of the season. Forget the positive outlook the front office tried to imbibe heading into their 2018-19 campaign; with questionable signings juxtaposing uninspired sideline direction, they were slated to once again be on the wrong side of dysfunctional. The replacement of underwhelming Fred Hoiberg with erstwhile assistant Jim Boylen as head coach did little to stem the swoon; in fact, it was exacerbated by the newly minted mentor’s military machinations.
And then came clarity — or, at the very least, small steps into it as the season progressed. After bull sessions (pun wholly intended) and continual communication between Boylen and his charges shed more light on the method behind the madness of his coaching style, the Bulls began showing improvement on the court. It also helped that executives Gar Heard and John Paxson went about providing him with talent that fit his system and firmed up the pecking order. The acquisition of Otto Porter Jr. at the trade deadline has been a decided boon, and not simply because it wound up unleashing the best parts of cornerstone Lauri Markkanen’s game.
True, the deal comes at a cost to the Bulls. Beyond the departure of Jabari “They don’t pay players to play defense” Parker and perennial enigma Bobby Portis, they’ve tied themselves to Porter’s contract, deemed expensive for a hardworking third wheel at best. On the other hand, there can be no arguing with the immediate results; including yesterday’s dramatic victory against the vaunted Sixers, they’ve gone a heady seven and five since the roster change. Over their last 10 outings, only the Bucks, Raptors, and Pistons — all bounds for the playoffs — have sported better records in the East.
Admittedly, the Bulls will have to wait a while, make that a long while, before they come close to reliving their glory days during the Jordan Era. They’ve long relinquished their status as a desirable destination for free agents (hence their willingness to use up much of their salary cap space on Porter), and they continue to possess infirmities that prevent them from contending with consistency. That said, they’ve stopped being a punchline. Finally, they’re trying. Finally, they’re trending in the right direction. And, perhaps one day sooner rather than later, they’ll be able to live up to their name.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
Fighting the rampant sexual abuse of Filipino children through peer education
Three years ago, UNICEF identified an estimated 100,000 victims of sexual exploitation in the Philippines, dubbing it “the global epicenter of the live-stream sexual abuse trade.”
A few more statistics:
• One in five children in the Philippines have experienced sexual violence (National Baseline Study on Child Violence).
• Eight in 10 children are at risk of online abuse and bullying (Perils and Possibilities: Growing Up Online UNICEF 2016).
• And one in three sexual trafficking victims are children (Global Report on Trafficking in Persons UNODC 2016).
While a number of laws have been passed to protect this vulnerable sector —including the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009 (RA 9775) and the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act (RA 7610) — a top-down approach to tackling sexual exploitation can only do so much.
That’s because at the root of this problem is the reality that sexual exploitation has found fertile grounds in both the lack of understanding and the culture of silence that permeate sensitive issues like this.
This is further aggravated by rampant poverty, which forces many victims into prostitution to make ends meet. Most harrowing is the fact that many of these children fail to fully grasp the situation they’ve been placed in.
Last Thursday (March 7), just ahead of International Women’s Day, development and humanitarian organization Plan International Philippines launched Face Your Peers, a new education guide for young Filipinos to help their peers learn more about the reality of commercial sexual exploitation and how to tackle it.
Developed with partners under the Girls Advocacy Alliance, the Department of Justice, and the social welfare and development office of Tacloban City, this guide book includes modules on the local sexual abuse landscape, training activities, and guidelines on handling disclosures and reporting exploitation cases in communities.
According to Pauline De Guzman, Plan International PH’s campaigns and advocacy specialist, these modules were designed to not only equip society’s most vulnerable sector, “but more importantly create an environment that is supportive to the protection and prevention of children being abused and exploited.”
The Face Your Peers program was initially piloted in Valenzuela, Pampanga, and Tacloban, and is set to roll out to local government units across the country this month. While the guide book was developed in English, Plan International is currently working on local language translations of their modules.
Also present during the launch of this guide book were Meggie Ochoa, Filipino Jiu-Jitsu World Champion and long-time advocate of martial arts as a means to empower the youth to fight against sexual violence. Marianne Dorothy, sixteen-year-old cadet scout with the Girl Scouts of the Philippines, represented Plan International’s peer educators as one of the program’s recent young graduates.
“I can attest that this peer education campaign can really help us end the sexual exploitation problem in our country,” said Dorothy. According to her, cases of sexual abuse are rarely reported to authorities, instead confided to the victim’s friends who may not know how to help. “I believe that we should encourage the youth to communicate, not just talk, comprehend not just listen.”
“We should equip the youth with the knowledge and power, so they can protect themselves and their peers from abuse,” she said. “When you’re working with your peers, you know you’re not alone. And that’s the message we need to send the youth — that they aren’t alone in their dire situations.”
The Face Your Peers guide book will be available on Plan International Philippines’ official website, free for download this month of March.
Six new Google tools to make your work life easier
Work life is a crazy assortment of daily challenges, both big and small. And as with most things in our modern age, there’s always a new digital tool to help address those problems.
Check out these six digital solutions to problems every Filipino worker faces, developed and launched by Google Philippines.
Crawling through the Web…
Have you ever tried sending one last important email for the day during your evening commute home, only for your data connection to waver at the very last minute? Do your staredown contests with a loading screen take longer than the video that you’re supposed to watch?
The Google Station, a brand new public Wi-Fi platform, boasts high-quality internet connection (defined in this case as being able to play an HD-quality video without any buffering), which can be enjoyed through an unlimited number of 30-minute sessions.
Google Stations will be located in more than 50 venues across the country, including train stations, airports, government buildings, and malls.
… and through traffic
The awful traffic situation has become one of the biggest banes of work life. According to a 2017 report by the Boston Consulting Group for Uber Philippines, Filipinos spend 16 days stuck in traffic annually. This translates to a whopping P3.5 billion in daily economic losses, based on a 2017 report by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
It could be helpful, therefore, to provide alternative routes for different kinds of vehicles. With Motorcycle Mode on Google Maps, motorcyclists learn shortcuts that car users can’t pass through. And for the latter who dread the hassle of number-coding day, Number-coding Mode shows alternatives to restricted roads. These routes are regularly updated and checked against MMDA regulations, so there’s no need to worry about being caught.
Alert: Information Overload
Having terabytes of information at our fingertips through the Internet is a blessing, but there may be times when it gets a little too much.
New app Google Go is able to manage this for you by condensing the latest trends across 13 categories like news, social, and sports. The more you use it, the more its AI will personalize the information you see according to your preferences. It also has a nifty feature useful for multitaskers: the app can read webpages aloud, even with a 2G internet connection.
Being haunted by job hunting
Looking for a job can be a daunting and stressful task. There’s somehow both a thousand options to comb through, and none that ever fit the bill just right.
Google Jobs can help streamline this process. With filters that allow customization based on factors like location and employer, searches across 500,000 job listings here and abroad can be narrowed down more easily.
Should you find a listing that’s perfect for you or your friends, you can choose to save it or share it with others. And if you’re constantly on the hunt for new opportunities, the program can also send alerts for relevant job listings based on your previous searches.
Too many responsibilities, too little time
Women are often pressured to take on multiple roles, at home and at work — and all the more for those with entrepreneurial dreams.
Thankfully, the Internet opens different avenues for women to learn more about entrepreneurship flexibly and at their own pace. The YouTube channel Digiskarteng Pinay, for example, will be offering modules ranging from STEM to beauty and fashion to cater to all kinds of women entrepreneurs.
Content partners include Coca-Cola Philippines (which will offer courses on micro-retail) and model/host/social media personality Bianca Gonzales (who will discuss how to build life skills).
Setting up (digital) shop
With the local e-commerce industry growing faster over the years, brick-and-mortar shops may be feeling the pressure to establish their presence online. But with so many technical aspects to consider, the not-so tech-savvy may feel too intimidated to even begin.
Through Google MyBusiness’ new partnerships with PLDT Enterprise and the Department of Trade and Industry, MSMEs will be assisted in digitizing their business information and completing their verification on the MyBusiness platform.
Once registered, MSMEs can avail of services such as provision of customer insights and a free customizable website to strengthen the business’ online presence.
Jobs situation in January improved as unemployment, underemployment declined
THE LATEST government labor data showed the ranks of Filipinos wanting more work decline as well as those who are jobless.
Preliminary results of the January 2019 round of the Labor Force Survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority put the country’s unemployment rate at 5.2%, down from the 5.3% recorded in the same period last year.
This is equivalent to 2.20 million jobless Filipinos, down from 2.32 million in January 2018.
Likewise, the underemployment rate – the proportion of those already working, but still looking for more work or longer working hours – improved to 15.6% from 18%.
The size of the labor force was approximately 43.659 million out of the 72.524 million Filipinos 15 years and older for a participation rate of 60.2%, which declined from 62.2% a year ago.
The employment rate, which is the proportion of the employed to the total labor force – inched up to 94.8% in January from 94.7% the previous year.
By major economic sector, services made up a chunk of the employed population. In January, the employment rate in that sector improved to 58.1% from 55.9%.
The industry sector likewise saw its employment rate improve to 19.7% during the period from 18.1%.
Meanwhile, agriculture had an employment rate of 22.1%, down from 26%. — Carmina Angelica V. Olano